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43-690: The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios ), in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City . The museum originally opened in 1988 as the American Museum of the Moving Image , and in 1996, opened its permanent exhibition, "Behind the Screen," designed by Ali Höcek of AC Höcek Architecture LLC. The museum began

86-404: A security guard . The sound stage is the central component of a studio lot. Most studios have several; small studios may have as few as one, and large studios have as many as 20 to 30. Movie studios also provide office space for studio executives and production companies, and makeup rooms and rehearsal rooms for talent. If space allows, a studio may have an outside backlot . Finally, there

129-549: A $ 20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation , which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg . In March 2008, the museum broke ground for a $ 65 million expansion that doubled the museum's size and added a new theater and educational space. While the museum remained open during most of the construction period, with its old theater demolished and the new ones yet to be built, screenings series and other events were held off site, although

172-579: A $ 67 million expansion in March 2008 and reopened in January 2011. The expansion was designed by architect Thomas Leeser . The Museum of the Moving Image is focused on art, history, technique and technology of film, television, and digital media. It collects, preserves, and provides access to moving-image related artifacts via multimedia exhibitions and educational programming. The exhibits include significant audio/visual components designed to promote an understanding of

215-582: A cost of $ 15 million, the American Museum of the Moving Image opened on September 10, 1988, in the former East Coast home of Paramount Pictures as the first museum in the United States that was devoted solely to the art, history and technology of film, television and video. This was followed, days later, by the opening of the British museum of the same name. The New York theater, ultramodern by 1988 standards,

258-613: A faster recovery, contributing to the increasing dominance of Hollywood over New York City. The Big 5 By the mid-1920s, the evolution of a handful of American production companies into wealthy motion picture industry conglomerates that owned their own studios, distribution divisions , and theaters , and contracted with performers and other filmmaking personnel led to the sometimes confusing equation of studio with production company in industry slang. Five large companies: RKO Radio Pictures , 20th Century Fox , Paramount Pictures , Warner Bros. , and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer came to be known as

301-644: A growing proportion of Hollywood movie revenue, with approximately 70% of total movie revenue coming from international ticket sales; and the Chinese domestic box-office revenue is projected to outpace those of US in 2020. The growth of film studios and filmmaking outside of Hollywood and the US has produced popular international film studio locations such as Hollywood North ( Vancouver and Toronto in Canada ), Bollywood ( Mumbai , India ), and Nollywood ( Lagos , Nigeria ). As

344-522: A motion picture of their own because they are not entertainment companies or motion picture companies; they are companies who sell only studio space. In 1893, Thomas Edison built the first movie studio in the United States when he constructed the Black Maria , a tarpaper-covered structure near his laboratories in West Orange , New Jersey , and asked circus, vaudeville, and dramatic actors to perform for

387-640: A new 18,000-square-foot sound stage on its Astoria campus within two years. In 2020, Kaufman Astoria Studios announced a five-block redevelopment project around the studio, in conjunction with Larry Silverstein , Bedrock Real Estate, and ODA Architecture. The area would be called Innovation QNS and stretch from 37th to 43rd Streets from 35th to 36th Avenues. The project, to cost $ 2 billion, would add 2,700 residential units, 200,000 square feet (19,000 m ) for shops and restaurants, and 250,000 square feet (23,000 m ) for creative industries. Construction could begin in 2023. Motion pictures filmed there include

430-640: A tram tour of the backlot where films such as Psycho and Back to the Future were once shot. In fall 2019, movie mogul Tyler Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta . The studio lot is claimed to be larger than any movie-studio lot in Hollywood. In the 1980s and 1990s, as the cost of professional 16mm film equipment decreased, along with the emergence of non-film innovations such as S-VHS and Mini-DV cameras, many young filmmakers began to make films outside

473-487: Is Carmen Sandiego? Other projects recorded at the studios have included Judge Judy , Power of 10 , The Cosby Show , Cosby , The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd , Swans Crossing , Law & Order , Million Dollar Password , the 2009 pilot of The $ 1,000,000 Pyramid , Video Power , Spin City , Generation Gap and Mariah Carey 's MTV Unplugged . WFAN , a local sports radio station owned by Audacy ,

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516-407: Is a secure compound enclosed by a tall perimeter wall. This is necessary to protect filmmaking operations from unwanted interference from paparazzi and crazed fans of leading movie stars . Movement in and out of the studio lot is normally limited to specific gates (often capped with grand decorative arches), where visitors must stop at a boom barrier and explain the purpose of their visit to

559-733: Is a studio "commissary", which is the traditional term in the movie industry for what other industries call a company cafeteria . In addition to these basic components, the largest film studios are full-service enterprises offering the entire range of production and post-production services necessary to create a motion picture, including costumes, props, cameras, sound recording, crafts, sets, lighting, special effects , cutting, editing, mixing, scoring, automated dialogue replacement (ADR), re-recording, and foley . Independent suppliers of all these services and more (e.g., photographic processing labs) are often found in clusters in close proximity to film studios. Nitrate film , manufactured until 1951,

602-570: The Marx Brothers , The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), were shot at the Astoria Studio. Paramount used the Astoria studio heavily in the early years of talking pictures, primarily for short subjects starring New York-based stage and radio performers: Burns and Allen , Eddie Cantor , Tom Howard , Ethel Merman , Rudy Vallee , Lillian Roth , and many others. During this period

645-700: The United States Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service took over the studio for the making of Army training films until 1971, including The Big Picture , shown on American network television and later in syndication. In 1975, the studio opened again for shooting on Thieves . In 1978, the property was designated a national historic district and added to the National Register of Historic Places . The district encompasses six contributing buildings. In 1981, New York City received an Urban Development Action Grant from

688-454: The patents relevant to movie production at the time. Early movie producers relocated to Southern California to escape patent enforcement, thanks to more lenient local courts and physical distance from company detectives and mob allies. (Edison's patents expired in 1913.) The first movie studio in the Hollywood area was Nestor Studios , opened in 1911 by Al Christie for David Horsley . In

731-407: The vertically integrated structure of the movie industry constituted an illegal monopoly . This decision, reached after twelve years of litigation, hastened the end of the studio system and Hollywood's "Golden Age". By the 1950s, the physical components of a typical movie studio had become standardized. Since then, a movie studio has usually been housed on a "studio lot." Physically, a studio lot

774-489: The Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation took control of the former Astoria Studios in an effort to preserve the now-landmarked building, which was home to a number of significant productions. The foundation's work revitalized the site and consumers' interest in the industry, and plans were made to expand the consumer access to the studio in the form of a museum. Following seven years of work, and at

817-630: The Big Five, the majors, or the Studios in trade publications such as Variety , and their management structures and practices collectively came to be known as the studio system . The Little 3 Although they owned few or no theaters to guarantee sales of their films, Universal Pictures , Columbia Pictures , and United Artists also fell under these rubrics, making a total of eight generally recognized major studios. United Artists, although its controlling partners owned not one but two production studios during

860-562: The Golden Age, had an often-tenuous hold on the title of major and operated mainly as a backer and distributor of independently produced films. Smaller studios operated simultaneously with the majors. These included operations such as Republic Pictures , active from 1935, which produced films that occasionally matched the scale and ambition of the larger studio, and Monogram Pictures , which specialized in series and genre releases. Together with smaller outfits such as PRC TKO and Grand National,

903-560: The Worm on Sesame Street , married Annie Evans, a writer for the show on the Sesame Street set. The ceremony was performed on the steps of 123 Sesame Street and the reception was held throughout the rest of the set. On December 3, 2013, a 34,800 square foot backlot was dedicated. It is the only studio backlot in New York City. In 2014, Kaufman Astoria Studios announced plans to build

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946-548: The art and culture of cinema. It is also home to one of the most significant collections of video games and gaming hardware. The museum's attendance has grown from 60,000 in 2000 to an expected figure of 120,000 in 2011. In 2017, the museum opened "the Jim Henson Exhibition," a permanent exhibit honoring the life and ingenuity of Jim Henson and his creations. Further, an exhibit entitled, "Envisioning 2001: Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey", opened in January 2020. In 1970,

989-424: The art form of cinema while engaging in a wide range of subjects and styles. The festival is programed by the museum's curator of film, Eric Hynes. In July 2024, the museum held "100 Years of Parajanov " programming, supported by Armenian Film Society . Kaufman Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City . The studio

1032-613: The camera. He distributed these movies at vaudeville theaters, penny arcades, wax museums, and fairgrounds. The first film serial , What Happened to Mary , was released by the Edison company in 1912. The pioneering Thanhouser movie studio was founded in New Rochelle, New York in 1909 by American theatrical impresario Edwin Thanhouser . The company produced and released 1,086 movies between 1910 and 1917, successfully distributing them around

1075-583: The collection was still available to scholars. The museum opened its redesigned and expanded building, designed by Leeser Architecture, on January 15, 2011. The museum's permanent exhibition, "Behind the Screen," was also redesigned by AC Höcek Architecture LLC at this time. Beginning in 2011, the museum began hosting the First Look Film Festival, which has since gained acclaim for hosting innovative new international cinema and introducing New York audiences to formally inventive works that seek to redefine

1118-579: The federal government for the renovation and expansion of the studio which Kenneth Schuman , NYC Commissioner for Economic Development, described as being of "compelling public interest". In 1982, the property was taken over by real estate developer George S. Kaufman and renamed Kaufman Astoria Studios. Kaufman Astoria Studios has seven sound stages including the new Stage K, designed by the Janson Design Group . In 2008, Martin P. Robinson , who plays Mr. Snuffleupagus , Telly Monster , and Slimey

1161-717: The film industry had once hoped—movie studios were increasingly being used to produce programming for the burgeoning medium. Some midsize film companies, such as Republic Pictures , eventually sold their studios to TV production concerns , which were eventually bought by larger studios, such as the American Broadcasting Company which was purchased by Disney in 1996. With the growing diversification of studios into such fields as video games , television stations , broadcast syndication , television , theme parks , home video and publishing , they have become multi-national corporations. International markets account for

1204-522: The history of the industry and an understanding of how it has evolved. Panel discussions about current movies are frequently held at the museum. The museum hosts regular monthly series in its two premium theaters. These ongoing series include "Changing the Picture," "Fist & Sword," "New Adventures in Nonfiction," "Science on Screen," and "Disreputable Cinema." Each of these explore and celebrate many aspects of

1247-468: The minor studios filled the demand for B movies and are sometimes collectively referred to as Poverty Row . The Big Five's ownership of movie theaters was eventually opposed by eight independent producers, including Samuel Goldwyn , David O. Selznick , Walt Disney , Hal Roach , and Walter Wanger . In 1948, the federal government won a case against Paramount in the Supreme Court , which ruled that

1290-467: The musicals Hair and The Wiz , and the films Goodfellas and Carlito's Way . In 1984, The Jacksons ' music video " Torture " was filmed there as well. The 1986 movie The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long . Many sequences, especially the 'visitation' sequence in 2002 TV mini series Angels in America , were also shot there. A 2009 remake, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 , also used

1333-540: The same year, another 15 independents settled in Hollywood. Other production companies eventually settled in the Los Angeles area in places such as Culver City , Burbank , and what would soon become known as Studio City in the San Fernando Valley . The stronger early public health response to the 1918 flu epidemic by Los Angeles compared to other American cities reduced the number of cases there and resulted in

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1376-493: The studio as, "the studio where I'd been making all of my pictures since 1923" in her autobiography Swanson on Swanson. In 1938, ...One Third of a Nation... was the last feature film to be shot there during that era. Educational Pictures rented space at the facility during the 1930s, until Educational closed its doors in 1938. The last theatrical films produced at Astoria were a series of short Robert Benchley comedies released by Paramount between 1940 and 1942. In 1942,

1419-495: The studio facility was known as the Paramount Studio. In 1932, after Paramount Pictures moved all studio operations to California, the Astoria location was turned over to independent producers, including Walter Wanger , whose films were released through Paramount or other Hollywood film companies. All the films starring tango icon Carlos Gardel made in the United States were shot at Astoria Studios. Gloria Swanson cites

1462-569: The studio system. Filmmakers and producers such as Mike Judge , Adam Sandler , Jim Jarmusch , Robert Rodriguez , Steven Soderbergh , Quentin Tarantino , Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater made films that pushed boundaries in ways the studios were then reluctant to do. In response to these films, many distributed by mini-studios like Miramax , the majors created their own in-house mini-studios meant to focus on edgier, independent content. Focus Features

1505-595: The studios increased in size they began to rely on production companies like J. J. Abrams ' Bad Robot to handle many of the creative and physical production details of their feature films. Instead, the studios transformed into financing and distribution entities for their films (generally made by their affiliated production companies). With the decreasing cost of CGI and visual effects , many studios sold large chunks of their once-massive studio spaces or backlots to private real-estate developers. Century City in Los Angeles

1548-689: The studios. In 2011, the remake of Arthur filmed a few scenes there. Television shows filmed at the studio include Sesame Street , Succession , Orange Is The New Black , Onion News Network , Johnny and the Sprites , Bear in the Big Blue House , Between the Lions , The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss , Oobi , Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego , and its successor Where in Time

1591-512: The world. In the early 1900s, companies started moving to Los Angeles, California . Although electric lights were by then widely available, none were yet powerful enough to adequately expose film; the best source of illumination for motion picture production was natural sunlight. Some movies were shot on the roofs of buildings in Downtown Los Angeles . Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company , based in New York City, controlled almost all

1634-500: Was constructed for Famous Players–Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan 's Theater District . The property was taken over by real estate developer George S. Kaufman in 1982 and renamed Kaufman Astoria Studios. The studio is home to New York City's only backlot , which opened in December 2013. The property was designated a national historic district and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The studio

1677-474: Was equipped to present 70mm, 35mm, and 16mm film formats and was one of only two sites in New York with the ability to present old nitrate prints. It also re-created moments from television and video history and allowed visitors the opportunity to watch television in a TV lounge from the early days of television. In 2005, the museum was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of

1720-600: Was formerly based at the studio before moving to lower Manhattan in the fall of 2009. The walls of the studio are lined with signed images of the performers who have worked in the studios, including Milton Berle , Frank Sinatra , The Marx Brothers , Ginger Rogers , George Burns , Lena Horne , Ethel Merman , Paul Robeson , Lillian Gish , Claudette Colbert , Gloria Swanson , Maurice Chevalier , Jeanette MacDonald , Diana Ross , and Jerry Orbach . Notes Further reading Film studio There are also independently owned studio facilities, who have never produced

1763-435: Was highly flammable, and sets and backlots were and still are very flammable, which is why film studios built in the early-to-mid 20th century have water towers to facilitate firefighting . Water towers "somewhat inexplicably" evolved into "a most potent symbol ... of movie studios in general." Halfway through the 1950s, with television proving to be a lucrative enterprise not destined to disappear any time soon—as many in

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1806-399: Was once part of the 20th Century Fox backlot, which was among the largest and most famous of the studio lots. In most cases, portions of the backlots were retained and are available for rental by various film and television productions. Some studios offer tours of their backlots , while Universal Pictures allows visitors to its adjacent Universal Studios Hollywood theme park to take

1849-496: Was originally constructed for Famous Players–Lasky in 1920 to provide the company with a facility close to the Broadway theater district. Many features and short subjects were filmed there between 1920 and 1933. W. C. Fields made his silent features there. The first Sherlock Holmes sound film, The Return of Sherlock Holmes (also 1929), was made at the studio by the British producer Basil Dean . The first two films featuring

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